Laundry-tongs.



Nu. 765,851. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904. S. R. NETTLETON.

LAUNDRY TONGS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 14, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1904.

STILES RUST NETTLETON, OF KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON.

LAUNDRY-TONGS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,851, dated July 26, 1904.

I Application filed May 14, 1903. Serial No. 157,182. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, STILES RUs'r NETTLETON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Kirkland,in the county of King and State of WVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Laundry-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in laundry-tongs, and has special reference .to an implement of this class which is especially adapted for use in the home.

The object of this invention is to provide simple, inexpensive, and durable tongs for lifting clothes from wash-water and which can be readily manipulated and embody essential constructive features which insure the clothes from injury and adapt the tongs for use as a clothes-stick.

The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the constructions and arrangements of the parts as disclosed on the drawings, set forth in this specification, and succinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

Vith reference to the drawings filed herewith, and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my improved tongs shown with the jaws closed. Fig. 2 is a side View of one of the levers or members of the tongs, shown on a large scale; and Fig. 3 is a View in transverse section of said lever, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and viewed as the arrows indicate.

This implement is composed of a pair of crossed and pivotally-connected levers or gripping members 10, which are made of wood as best serving the purposes for which the implement is intended. These levers or gripping members are each formed from a single piece of wood, and the arm portion 12 is bowed outwardly and rounded on the side corners throughout a greater portion of the length, and at the forward extremity of the arm is formed a laterally-projecting jaw part 14, which is formed semicircular at the forward end and rounded along the side corners of this end. At the base of each arm a diagonally-disposed groove 16 is formed in one 5 side to receive the base of the arm of the opposite lever, so that the levers will embrace each otherwhen connected together, and this groove is of suitable form to allow said arms to open and close relatively to each other and is formed substantially half as deep as the thickness of the base, so that the jaws on the levers will be in directly-opposing positions when the levers are connected.

The levers or gripping members are pivotally connected by means of a suitable pivotpin 17, which is seated in corresponding apertures 18, formed transversely the base parts of the arms, and the levers are each formed with a rearwardly-extending handle part 19, which is concaved along the outer side edge and rounded along the edges of the concaved portion, and this handle partis arranged with the inner side edge substantially in alinement with the face of the jaw part of the arm, and adjacent the rear end of the handle a notch 20 is formed in this inner side edge, which is adapted to admit of one of the fingers of the hand of the operator being placed between the handles to open the tongs, so that but one hand is necessary to operate the tongs, leaving the other hand free to support the boilercover or other receptacle used to receive the clothes as they are taken from the wash-water by the tongs.

By forming the arms of the gripping members so that they stand bowed outwardly and forming the jaw parts with lateral projections the arms will lie well apart throughout a greater portion of their length when the tongs are closed and are thereby kept from gripping the clothes which may be embraced by the arms when the tongs are applied, and thereby insure a secure grip of the jaw parts, while by rounding the corners of the arms injury to the clothes is avoided should they be pinched between the rim of the boiler or tub as the tongs are fulcrumed thereon to lift the clothes from the water. Furthermore, the notches in the handles of the gripping members render it possible to open the tongs with one hand, while the other hand is used to support the receptacle, and by forming the forward ends of the jaw parts semicircular and rounding the corners thereclothes-stick to punch or stir the clothes by applying this end. without danger of injuring them, and by forming the outer side edges of the handles concave a firm grip can be taken on the tongs in applying them to lift or stir the clothes, and by arranging the handles so that the inner side edges are substantially in line with the faces of the jaw parts the handles will rest against each other when the tongs are applied to stir or punch the clothes, and thereby absorb the strain imposed in gripping the handles, which would otherwise fall upon the arms of the levers.

This implement is simple and inexpensive of construction and durable, and by its use the work of lifting clothes from the washwater is greatly facilitated and the necessity of keeping a clothes-stick in addition to the tongs is avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-

1. A pair of laundry tongs comprising crossed levers pivotally connected and formed with outwardly-bowed arms rounded along the side corners, laterally-projecting jaw parts at the forward ends of the arms formed substantially semicircular at the forward ends, handle parts arranged with the inner side edges substantially in line with the faces of said jaw parts and formed with the outer side edges concaved, and finger-receiving notches in said inner side edges.

2. A pair of laundry-tongs comprising pivotally-connected crossed levers having corresponding diagonally-disposed grooves in their opposing side surfaces, and formed with outwardly-bowed arms rounded along the side corners, laterally-projecting jaw parts at the forward ends of the arms formed substantially semicircular at the forward ends, handle parts arranged with the inner side edges substantially in line with the faces of said jaw parts and formed with the outer side edges concaved, and finger-receiving notches in said inner side edges.

Signed at Seattle,Vashington,this 15th day of April, 1903.

STILES RUST NETTLETON. Vitnesses:

ERNEST B. HERALD,

WVAL'rL-IR C. MOKAY. 

